Brace Hemmelgarn
Editor’s Note: This article was first published June 13, 2019, when Mauer retired from the Minnesota Twins. He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot on Jan. 23, 2024, and is only the third catcher to be chosen for the HOF on the first ballot. Mauer will be inducted into Cooperstown in summer 2024.
Today the Twins will officially retire Joe Mauer’s No. 7 jersey, which he proudly wore throughout his 15-year career with the Minnesota Twins. Mauer announced his retirement last fall and left a lot of fans heartbroken; however, throughout those 15 years, he achieved maximum status and earned the title as one of the best catchers in MLB history.
With the Twins, Mauer won three American League (AL) batting titles as a catcher and the 2009 AL MVP Award, surpassed 2,000 career hits, and earned six-all star selections. The now-retired Twins star is Minnesota’s all-time leader in doubles and ranks second in hits behind Twins Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett. Mauer is also second among Twins players in Wins Above Replacement with 55, just behind Twins Hall of Famer Rod Carew.
The former Cretin-Derham Hall alumnus was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 MLB Draft. He grew up in St. Paul and became a local star, spending his entire MLB career here and making us love him even more. He won his first AL batting title in 2006 and followed it up with the top batting average again in 2008 and 2009, becoming the first catcher to win three batting titles. Mauer’s best season was in ‘09 when he hit .365/.444/.587 (batting average/on base percentage/slugging percentage) and won the AL MVP Award.
Courtesy Minnesota Twins
The next few years Mauer continued to succeed, but then in 2013, he suffered a career-altering concussion that forced him to change positions and slide to first base. After 1,858 games with the Twins, Mauer earned five AL Silver Slugger Awards and three Gold Glove Awards, hit .306/.388/.439, and ended with 143 home runs, 428 doubles, and 923 RBIs. Mauer’s decision to retire came after battling the underlying affects of previous concussions and putting his family first.
Mauer has certainly left his mark on the Minnesota Twins organization and their fans, and without a doubt, many of them will show up at tonight’s game (June 15) to help honor him. The Twins will face the Kansas City Royals at 6:10 p.m. at Target Field. The first 40,000 fans in attendance will receive No. 7 baseball hats, and on select days throughout the summer, the Twins will be giving away a series of Mauer bobbleheads. The first was given away May 24 and featured Mauer in his high school jersey; the last publicly available one will be given out Sept. 7 and depicts Mauer during his last game.
